WACEL

Our Mission

To develop and implement programs to educate, promote and improve firms, organizations and individuals involved in construction observation, testing and special inspections, working collaboratively with building officials and industry partners to help ensure construction quality for the benefit of the public at large.

Current News

To protect technicians, instructors and staff, the following requirements must be met in order for WACEL to provide in office and at facility testing:

1. Anyone who has been ill in the last 14 days will not be permitted to enter the WACEL office or take a WACEL certification test or practical exam. Anyone who exhibits any of the following symptoms within the last seven days will not be permitted to take a WACEL certification exam at the WACEL office or participate in a WACEL practical exam

Temperature of 100 degrees or higher

Cough

Wheezing

Shortness of breath

2. WACEL staff reserves the right to refuse entry by anyone exhibiting those symptoms.

3. A short health questionnaire will be given to technicians that want to be tested and must be signed on a health affirmation log prior to testing.

The digital thermometer will be cleaned with a sanitizing solution between each scan.

If anyone develops a temperature during an exam, they should leave immediately and advise the instructor or proctor. The instructor or proctor will advise WACEL staff.

4. EVERYONE MUST AGREE TO HAVE THEIR TEMPERATURE TAKEN BEFORE AN EXAM IS GIVEN. ANYONE WHOSE TEMPERATURE IS 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER WILL NOT BE GRANTED ACCESS.

5. EVERYONE MUST WEAR A MASK THAT COVERS THEIR NOSE AND MOUTH.

6. Upon entering the WACEL office, everyone is required to wash their hands.

7. Only three technicians can be tested during a given session in the WACEL office. Test times in the WACEL office are 9am and 1pm. Register technicians for time slots at the WACEL office on the WACEL website . Once registered, WACEL staff will contact you to designate the exam to be taken.

8. Social distancing will be required for all in-office and practical exams.

9. WACEL will conduct concrete practical exams at a member’s facility provided there is a minimum of five technicians and that the exam space will allow for technicians to be at least six feet apart from one another. Email Mike Dean, to schedule on-site practicals.

10. WACEL will conduct written exams at a member’s facility provided there is a minimum of five technicians and that the exam space will allow for technicians to be at least six feet apart from one another.

11. WACEL will conduct written exams at the ABC Virginia facility in Dulles, Virginia on Saturday, June 20, 2020 . There will be (4) sessions with the following start times: 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 1:00 pm. Space for each time session is limited, so please register technicians to take exams at the ABC Facility on the WACEL website . Once registered, WACEL staff will contact you to designate the exam to be taken.

12. No food or drink will be allowed while taking exams.

13. Technicians will be required to bring their own pen/pencils, blank paper and calculators to take exams.

ONLINE TESTING

The WACEL Online Testing Platform is now operational for both Concrete I and Soil I exams.

To register your technicians for the Concrete I exam, you must have supervisor status in the WACEL database. If you need supervisor status, email tcohn@wacel.org with the names and email address of those in your organization who should be designated as supervisors.

Click on the drop down menu on the TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION PROGRAM tab underneath the WACEL logo on the landing page and click on online testing.

Click on the blue bar at the bottom of the page that says "Click here to register technicians".

If the technician you want to register has previously taken a WACEL certification exam while in your employ, his or her name should be listed under the select a person. If the tech has not previously taken an exam while in your employ fill in the first and last name in the appropriate fields. You must provide a valid email address for the technician and you also must provide a password that is at least six characters in length and one of the characters must be a number.

You will note that there are options for Concrete I and Soil I. Soil I will not be active until early next week. If you select Soil I no exam will be assigned.

After you hit submit, an email is sent to WACEL to assign the exam as well as to the supervisor and the technician taking the exam. After WACEL assigns the exam, the exam will be available the following business day beginning at 7:00 am. If you register your technicians today, May 15 for Concrete I, the exam will be available from May 18-May 20 between the hours of 7am and 7pm.

Technicians must take the exam at your office in an environment that follows CDC and local and state health official guidelines.

After the technician completes the exam, a PE or designated supervisor must submit an application (attached) signed by the technician and supervisor and submitted to WACEL (mike@wacel.org) along with a photo of the technician and a photo of the technician’s government-issued identification (e.g. driver’s license). By signing the application both the PE/Supervisor and the technician certify that they followed online testing guidelines and that they did not compromise the integrity of the WACEL certification program. If you do not submit an application or the required photos, no certification will be issued.

We thank everyone for their patience in this process. This is a giant leap forward for our members and WACEL.

Call us with questions or if you need more information.

Tom

Tom Cohn

Executive Director

Certification and Accreditation Program Updates

As a result of our recent inability to provide typical services to our members and others, The Board of Directors approved WACEL extending the expiration date to June 30 of any laboratory whose accreditation expires in April, May or June. Similarly, WACEL is extending the certification of every technician to June 30 whose certification is scheduled to expire in April, May or June 2020. The WACEL website has been updated to indicate the current expiration dates for both laboratory accreditations and technician certifications.

WACEL Study Guides and videos demonstrating concrete testing are now available online. Click here to go to the Resources Section.